**Perfect Pear Orchard, Ponyville, Equestria**
**004 Summer CC**
**Silly the Colt**

Mom and the lady who smells really good left. Now, it’s just me with the guy who is not dad. I wonder where dad is.

This guy has some curls in his hair like mom, but hers is curlier. He also has a silver streak in his mane; I guess he’s on the older side, but he doesn’t look over-the-hill quite yet despite having a depleted appearance. Not sure what that’s about.

Nopony acted like he’s sick, but he does have the countenance of a sick pony: doesn’t smile much, sunken and discolored facial features, a little slower doing things or responding, and seems a little sweatier than he should be.

Mom did nuzzle him on her way out; so, he must be important: a relation, if I had to guess.

I remember a bit about Pear Butter and Bright Macintosh from the show -a little of who they’re supposed to be and how important they are- but I don’t remember these other ponies. I wish Kevin put more about that in his book. Maybe I should focus on vocabulary and write him a letter?

After that big breakfast, it feels like I’m very awake. It was very kind of the other lady to feed me, too, like Spitfire’s mom did. There are noticeable differences in the brews, but hers was much closer to mom’s; so, I think I can assume pony types play a part in that. As to why or what effects that might introduce to a foal, I have no idea.

I feel quite awake like I should run around a lot right now, but it would be good to study the book Kevin gave me.

As if answering me, the stallion announces with a little more cheer than I’ve seen him use, <<“Okay, Silly. Here is your book.”>> Adults seem to be more cheerful around foals; so, that’s not out of the ordinary.

Oh, but I understood some of those words, “Book,” I say.

He is balancing the book on his back behind his green cowboy -cowpony- scarf and says, <<“Correct. Let’s go into the family room. You can read there while Ah do the dishes and some cleaning inside. Then we’ll go out and start gettin’ materials ready for some chorin’.”>>

I don’t know what any of that means, but he motions for me to follow. I do, and he leads me into the room with the low couch where he sets the book. I jump up with a bit of help from my wings and dive into reading.

I think he watches for a moment before leaving the room saying, <<“Ah don’t get it. There aren’t any pictures; but if you like it, then you like it.”>>

I don’t know how long I’ll have before I have to stop, and I have a long list of things to learn from this; but I think I need some good question words to start learning better.

I also take this rare moment of ‘alone time’ to check my horn. It remains there and hidden in my pompadour… unfortunately. Fortunately, though, nopony has pushed their attempts to inspect my upper forehead.

I don’t know how fast hooves, horns, or wings grow. Regardless, if it seems my horn is slightly larger, it wouldn’t matter if my hoof was bigger or not. To perceive a bigger horn with a bigger hoof still means the horn is bigger… And it is a little bigger. Buck. This is going to be an issue at some point.

I need a distraction. What can you teach me today, Kevin’s book?

Reading and Writing: Equish is divided into several scripts. There were some languages from Before which also had multiple ways to write a single language.

Unicorns have historically done the most writing; so, it is the most complex. It is read from left to right, top to bottom; and the characters resemble some cursive squiggles.

Nature-ponies started writing by holding their utensils with their lips; the characters are designed by the physical motion of a pony’s head and go in a line from the top of a page to the bottom, right to left. Vowel marks are added after each line of consonants are completed.

Pegasi have had the least writing due to their early history as nomads with few places to store physical items like books. However, they did keep navigation records which mostly consisted of numbers and formulas. Most non-magical mathematics today are derived from this. The non-numerical characters are not letters; they are akin to pictographs representing more than just a single word depending on the context in order to save space. Nowadays, business signs utilize such symbols.

New Print is perhaps the easiest for us to understand as parts of it resembles writing from Before. It came about after the advent of the printing press in Equestria. They developed a new type of writing to incorporate all three scripts and streamlined it to more efficiently utilize space on a page. You will find this in newspapers, magazines, and newer books.

Kevin put a bunch of samples after each one. I think I remember seeing some of those on the block toys mom had at her apartment. I suppose it’s a good thing I didn’t learn those blocks very well; it could mess me up if I don’t learn the writing systems correctly, and I don’t think I can start to practice those without having access to lots of paper. It would also be best to be able to speak more first. Sure is convenient that ponies have four ways to write the exact same language.

How about some vocabulary, grammar… here’s some:

Basics: simple sentence structure in Equish is akin to older and ancient languages from Before in that verbs are generally located toward the end of a sentence in those languages. In one respect, this forces a pony to listen to a whole statement to fully comprehend the communication; in another, it also makes elementary poetry more rhymable so long as the tense remains static.

Pony poetry? I find that somewhat interesting. I haven’t seen many ponies or been introduced to much of the culture, but the thought of them expressing nebulous concepts like beauty or expressing something beautiful nebulously really helps to solidify the fact that the ponies of this world are not just cartoonish animals. They’re a fully formed and functioning people who hope, dream, mourn, and love.

Some of Kevin’s poetry stuff is on another page:

Poetry is diverse but seems to favor rhyming schemes. There are structures akin to those we knew: stanzas, meter, syllabification, etc. I’ve found interpreting language from Equish to ours from Before seems to retain the rhymes at an abnormally high success rate but doesn’t always work in reverse.

When we divided source materials for economic survival, I would recommend simpler structures. The culture seems to prefer less complexity in this artform.

Economic…? Oh yeah~! That’s right. We did do something like that. Didn’t we?

We all divided some broad subjects between ourselves. We all got some music, some stories, and some other things. This way, we could always have some way for the individual to avoid absolute financial destitution.

These were chosen, because they’re more timeless compared to the technological considering we wouldn’t know when we would emerge into the world. A pony can write or perform a story, song, or whatever and sell it at just about any time period. If one were to be assigned a technology like, ‘indoor plumbing,’ but arrive in a time long after the invention exists, then it would be quite the… waste.

I do remember a story or two from Before, but I have no idea if those were mine to use. It would be poor form to use one claimed by another one of the Others. That might be another good reason to learn how to write a letter to Kevin. He seemed to remember a lot more than I do.

Let’s try some words. I already know a couple pretty well: thank you, mom, dad, love, Cup, Spitfire, Spitfire’s mom’s name though not what it translates to exactly, apple, book, my name, goodnight, come or, ‘come here,’ and return like when mom tells me she’ll, ‘be back.’ … Oh! And I know that phrases Spitfire’s mom taught us for when something fun happens like baths: rhek’m-eh and chzk-k.

That last one’s tricky with my tongue, but practice makes perfect.

Now, I need some question words.

Verbal Conjugation Marker: Question <<-ka>> Interrogative words exist but are not used as frequently as the standard conjugation marker especially in the spoken word. A verb at the end of a question sentence gets the marker <<-ka>> added to it which indicates that the sentence is a question. Ka -> ka-west-shun -> question.

I don’t know many verbs yet; so, this doesn’t help much. What about actual question words?

Interrogatives: structurally used adjacent to a sentence’s subject or object but are typically less frequent than the .

What - ruk, sounds like, ‘Luke.’ Be careful not to relax the vowel to, ‘rhek.’

Who - fua-li, sounds like, ‘fwah-lee.’ The <<-li>> is the same particle that indicates the sovereignty of an individual.

Where - grhymn, sounds like, ‘grem,’ with a breathy ‘h’ in the vowel, because most noteworthy places are indicated by the word, ‘hem,’ such as Ponyville, ‘poe-hem,’ Cloudsdale, ‘Chou-ghet-hem,’ or, Canterlot, ‘Kitter-hem.’

When - in-krennuh, sounds like, ‘ink run-ah.’ Comes from the noun for Time or a Calendar, ‘krento.’

Why - shida, sounds like, ‘she-da.’

I need to practice these -especially what, who, and why. “Luke, fwah-lee, she-da.” I start to quietly repeat the words a few times when another word catches my eye.

Sparkle - sol-li, sounds like, ‘so-lee.’ Typically refers to things which sparkle, reflect, or emit light. ‘Sol-li,’ is a combination of several words and has more than one connotation. The <<-li>> is the same particle that indicates the sovereignty of an individual; it also means, ‘jewel,’ which are reflective. This implies that a ‘sparkle’ is reflective of light as a gem can be. The <> is the root word for Celestia, ‘Sol-ti,’ the sun, ‘sol,’ and various other sources of light such as the stars, ‘jzusol-li.’ There is also a colloquial use of the word as both noun and verb referring to a goopy glittery substance which can emit from a pony’s horn during intimate times of friendship.

Sparkly things are sparkly. That sounds about right. I met a filly with a similar name. Jsul-li is what I called her, because the whole word was kind of tricky; but I think it was pretty close to that Jzusol-li one. Wait. What was that last part about-?

<<“Hello, Silly!”>> The older fellow returned. I look to him. He seems somewhat more excited than he was around breakfast. <<“All done in the kitchen. Now, book learnin’ is good, but learnin’ with yer hooves is the farmpony way.”>> He smiles and motions me to follow, “Come on.”

Works for me. I’ve been reading and practicing for a while. It’s not like I’m as brainy as Kevin who probably sat down and wrote this whole book in an afternoon and could read it in a single sitting.

He leads me through the house and then outside and waits by the door for me to catch up.

The front entrance and porch face somewhat west by northwest giving it views of the trees to the west and to anypony who might come from the town just north. I haven’t really stopped to wonder how quickly the sun rises or sets, but I imagine the evening is probably quite a nice time to look over the property from the porch.

The barns and the house are connected by a dirt cul-de-sac in between. I follow the stallion to the nearest one which has that chicken coop on its northern side.

Getting closer, I can see that the coop has some wire poultry netting around the windows, but the majority of it is wood. Even the run consists of thin sticks woven together. The coop’s front door is rather high up and has a ramp leading to it; the door appears to lock from the outside, but… also on the inside?

Are the chickens smart enough to know when to barricade themselves inside? I suppose that does track a bit. I think there was something about the Show regarding ‘critter sentience.’

Speaking of critters, that strange chicken from yesterday seems to be near the coop. I think it’s a hen given the size of the tail and wattle. Her rear claws also appear less menacing than I would expect on a rooster. Maybe that’s why she has a sword? We are next door to the Everfree; so, I think I can understand that. The sombrero is odd, too; but what’s really befuddling is the fact that she looks like she’s having a conversation with a fluffy white kitten.

**Chicken Coop, Perfect Pear Orchard, Ponyville, Equestria**
**Mid-morning, 004 Summer CC**
**Señorita Gallo**

"I'm telling you: it's dangerous," I say to the little kitten, Luminescence. She has been rather adamant this time.

"Psh. Come off it," she dismisses my concerns. "You don't know what it's like to be a legendary beast like me."

She is right. I don't know what it is like to be a legendary beast, but I also know a kitten when I see one -legendary or not. Although, I'm pretty sure she's just a regular feline.

As I normally do, I calmly try to placate the little beast, "You're not going to find anything but foes in that forest. Make friends in the town. Where it's safe."

She glares at me, "Someday soon, I'm going to be grown. And then those regular house cats will want to do more than just play. You know? I need to find some more like me."

I've been alive for a few summers. I first met Luminescence not long ago. She has always had a chip on her shoulder like she's too good for the local tabby. There's nothing inherently wrong with having self-confidence, I guess; but if it leads one to recklessness, then it's not so good.

We have had this conversation more than once, "I call, 'running into the scary forest looking for family, friends, or cluck buddies,' a bad idea."

"Says the hen who never has to deal with a barbed rooster," she retorts.

"All felines have those, Luminescence: big ones, small ones, even the legendary ones," I tell her, "You can't escape that."

She huffs, "I'm not afraid. Even you have that weapon when you have claws. Why don't you teach me?"

I might teach you if you gave up your desire to go there. I sigh, "That forest is no place for a cat."

That set her off, "I'm not a cat." She pokes me in my breast feathers, "You're a cat. Your whole family's a cat!" Whatever she is, she's still an immature kitten, but she stops her rant much shorter than usual. Looking sideways, she whispers to me, "Hey, Gallo. Is that foal watching us?"

I follow her eyes to see a green colt looking at us with his head tilted. It's the same one who arrived with the Lady Butter yesterday.

Luminescence asks, "He can't understand us. Right?"

I shrug, "I don't know. Never met a pony who does."

She replies, "I don't like it. I'm leaving. I'll see you tomorrow."

I say, "I'll go with you."

"Wh-!" She scoffs, "I wasn't going to the forest yet! You don't have to kitten-sit me."

"I'm not brooding on you," I say. "I'm just being cautious."

**Perfect Pear Orchard, Ponyville, Equestria**
**004 Summer CC**
**Silly the Colt**

The white kitten and the sombrero-wearing sword-wielding chicken walk away. That was weird to watch.

<<"Hey, Silly.">> The stallion seems to appear out of nowhere. Was he not right here? <<"There you are. Come on. Ain't no need to doddle with the chicken.">> He motions for me to follow; so, I do.

He brings me into the nearest barn where there is a work station and a pile of sticks nearby and starts to explain, I think, <<"Okay. So, this here device will hold onto a stick and spin it. It moves on a track, and Ah'll push it through the jig. There are different sized holes on the jig that will each reduce the diameter of the stick. In this way, we will make uniform dowels which will then be divided into pegs. Those pegs will serve as wood nails for the repairs we'll do. Got it?>>

After he stops talking to me, he looks like he would like a response. I have no idea what he just said, but it is an opportunity to utilize some new vocabulary.

So, I ask, "Shida?"
<<"Why?">>

He blinks a few times, <<"Why? ... Why... Uh, well, it's the best way to fit two pieces of wood together without the mortise and tenon. Besides, these small repairs will be using pieces of wood that are too small for that.">>

I could probably keep asking, 'Why,' but I don't know what any of his answers are; so, I should be sparring with that for now. I walk over to the pile of sticks and point to them.

"Rek?" I ask while pointing at the sticks.
<<"What?>>

"Oh," he says, "Those are sticks. Stick." He repeats the word a few times for me. Seems simple enough.

"Tud," I say.
<<"Stick.">>

He smiles, <<"That's right! Sticks. Now, you are going to stand here by the sticks and away from the lathe. Okay? 'Specially while it's spinnin'.">>

He puts some safety goggles on. I watch his machine start up and spin with an odd silence, and the stallion begins to work. I wonder what kind of engine is causing this motion and how it's so quiet. Bits of bark and wood shavings start flying around. The only sound seems to be coming from the wood being ground. I don't think I want to get caught up in all of those shavings flying around.

Oh! I should have asked him who he is. That would have been a good question. I should do that next time the good-smelling lady is here, too.

After a moment, the machine stops, and he sets a straight and smooth dowel off to the side. Looking to me, he asks, <<"Pass me a stick, please, Silly.">> I look at him. I know he said my name, but he points in my direction and says again, <<"Stick.">>

Tud. Tud... stick. Right. He wants a stick. They're about as long as I am. I try to grab one with my hoof on the end of one, but it gets heavy and falls back down. I try once more and get the same result. There's got to be a trick to this. It's not so dense that I shouldn't be able to pick it up.

I try try with two hooves and can get it up higher, but I fall and drop it.

I don't know why, but I get really nervous about that. Slowly, I look to the stallion, but he's not angry. He's tired like he was earlier, but he's not angry. He's just waiting for me to fetch the stick.

I get back up and look at the pile of sticks. They aren't particularly gnarly; so, I don't think they're getting stuck on each other. It's me. Am I not strong enough? How exactly does this 'hoof grip' work? I know I've grabbed and moved toys like those letter blocks and turned pages in Kevin's book, but I haven't tried to lift anything substantial.

A few of my tests have shown that physics are not exactly the same here like when I tried doing cartwheels on the train or when Spitfire and I jumped around or on those clouds at the park. I can climb to a small degree, but I need my wings to help get up on top of things.

Perhaps that means the grip is affected by the physics of the world -whatever those happen to be- and can be practiced or strengthened? Adults will naturally have stronger everything than me...

I look back at the stallion, and he makes a motion with his muzzle by opening and closing his mouth a few times. What is that? Is that like a hint?

Oh? I could try my mouth. Is my mouth stronger than my hooves? I don't know. Does the mouth have a type of 'grip' like my hooves or is it just some bite strength? Might as well try. I grab onto the stick with my teeth. It doesn't taste particularly bad, but I wouldn't say it's good either; and then it just lifts up when I raise my head.

Oh~! It's more of a lift with my neck. I got it. I got it! Maybe my hooves are also affected by my legs somehow almost like a mix between muscle and magic? I wonder if there's a ratio.

I swing around to bring it over and give the stick a few good shakes. And then shake it while I jump around. After I get a little dizzy, I wobble over to the guy and deposit the stick in his waiting hoof, "Thank you, Silly," he says.

I know those words, "Thank you. Silly," and I return to my safe spot next to the pile.

After we go through a bunch of sticks, my stomach starts to feel like it's lunchtime. I've been spending most of my time near the stick pile while he does the hard work and just pass him a new one when he needs it. In the meantime, I've been preening, doing some wing exercises, and practicing lifting the sticks with my hooves.

I was surprised to find that I can grab with all four of them and neither appear to be particularly stronger than any other, but there does seem to be different advantages between certain angles. My hind legs seem to do better with motions going rearward since they naturally seem to do work in that direction. Conversely, my forehooves are a little more versatile in their flexibility and have a wider range when it comes to maintaining grip on those sticks.

In between the dowel grinding, though, I can hear what sounds like mom and dad doing what they like to do together. I suppose it's break time? It's kind of odd; it sounds like it's both near and far away -far enough that you can't hear every detail but near enough that you can tell what's going on.

The stallion looks like he's really concentrating on his work even more than he has been, but he started mumbling something through his teeth, <<"Granny Smith. How can somepony that age still act like a young mare in her first heat?">>

I don't know. I guess talking about whatever is fine as long as he's not risking any injury. Tools can do that.

Still, it's odd that he can't hear those two. Maybe ponies are cool with that? I'm fine with it, because those two are supposed to love each other; and they do. They really do; and as long as nopony's getting hurt and they still get things done that need to be done, it's all good.

I suppose it would be a little different if they were all up in my business about it, though...

<<"Hey, Silly,">> the stallion says to me, <<"Let's go get some lunch or something. Ah... Ah gotta do something else.">> As I follow him, he talks some more, <<"It's been a pretty good mornin', Ah think. After we rest a bit, yer mom'll have some produce fer us to bring into town.">>

He continues back to the house, <<“Ah know you don't know much of what Ah'm sayin'. Ah never thought Ah'd even see my baby again... Ah guess Ah just... Ah don't know. Ah didn't even think that letter was real, but Ah guess it was. Now she's back, and she brought a baby of her own.”>>

He stops and stoops down to me, <<“It makes me feel kinda young again, and Ah don't know... Ah suppose that's strange to hear since Ah'm a grandpa now. Ah guess what Ah'm sayin' is, 'Welcome to the Pear family,' Silly Pear.”>>

It looks like he's saying something important; so, I say, "Thank you," and, "Why?"

He blinks a few times before laughing a little bit, <<"'Why'? Ha, you're at that age. Aren't you? At least you don't know, 'No,' yet. Come on, let's get lunch and then go to town.">>

Author's Note

Passed 10k views last week. Thank you, everyone!

I saw a manga called Rooster Fighter about a 'lone wolf' chicken who fights One Punchman-style bad guys. There’s also an episode of Samurai Jack where he’s a rooster. I thought it would be funny to have a feathered bruiser in the background doing her own thing in addition to all those other weirdos I have hiding in plain sight. Bet none of you thought Señorita Gallo would ever get any speaking parts. Eh?

Luminescence might be related to Opalescence.

I have been awful about hitting my targets with the plot advancements. Missed it again. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Whoops. Thinking through the translations slow me down. Sorry. Good news is that Silly's vocabulary is improving, and I still managed to get my desired three-scene chapter format out. This 'Slice of Life' genre has been surprising me by how it's even possible to make two chapters with perspectives from five characters and still not get to lunchtime yet. I guess next week will continue with the Ponyville plot line.